If you were thinking of renovating your bathroom what would you do differently?

[Rescue2024]

Looking for ideas of things to look out for and things to avoid. I’m in two minds of half tiling or full with big tiles.

we have dark grout in the kitchen so I’m thinking the same and if -lasts in the bathroom is a bit too retro.

@Angrymum22 and @LoveFood can I ask about you having your sink opposite the window?

My new house is like this and I'm struggling with not having wall space opposite the sink - am used to having a mirror, cupboard etc I've got a freestanding mirror on the window sill but hate how it looks and that window is prone to condensation.

@Fofftwenty21 do you mean sink under the window? That was the setup when we moved into this house and we moved the sink to a wall so we had plenty of room for a mirrored cupboard above.

@ItRainsItPours yes sorry I mean sink under window. Ah yes thats what we are thinking of doing. I don't want to derail this thread but was it quite easy to do with the pipes etc?

It was straightforward, we were completely redoing the room so everything was stripped back though. I think the new pipes went under the floorboards as it was upstairs.

Sorry, wasn't online over the weekend so didn't see this.

Honestly, it does irritate me a bit. In our other bathroom, the sink is also under the window but it doesn't annoy me as much. I wasn't sure why but I noticed this weekend that the freestanding mirror on the windowsill in the other bathroom is much taller and that makes a big difference. Also, there's a mirror on a bathroom cabinet which is near by so it's not as bad - eg that's where I was putting on make up this morning.

The two options that I think can work better and that I'm planning to explore for my bathroom are: a freestanding mirror with a much longer "stem" so that it's higher. Ideally, also with a bigger mirror. OR one that can be attached to the wall and pulled out into position.

We've a walk-in shower, but anyway I'd make sure to chose a shower that you can adjust the water flow rate as well as the water temperature. We originally had a Mira one with only a temp adjust. noooooo it just flows out too strong. Crap plastic innards too. Got a Triton bar shower instead, great and simple.

We are doing our bathroom too, so I am watching this thread with interest. The designers we’ve seen all seem keen on running the shower from the boiler, but I’ve always had an electric shower which I’ve thought was better as it means it is an alternative source of fuel if the gas is off (rarely obviously) or the boiler broke.

Am I wrong to think that? What is the advantage of running a shower from the (combi) boiler?

I believe it is cheaper to run off the boiler (unless you have solar panels) and you get a better flow. If you have more than one it might be worth having one of each.

All I know is that I don’t want to clean it. That requires a skill set that I do not have. At all.

We were persuaded to put in a large bath which takes too long to fill. The GC used to love it as all three fitted in at once but I hate it now

Thanks. The man in the showroom today was keen for us to get a boiler one, but my husband is set on an electric one. I don't really care, as I much prefer a bath. Showroom man is also keen for us to get a large bath, and I was in favour, thinking it would be comfier than a smaller one. I thought about hot water costing more to fill a wider bath, but the thought of it taking longer didn't occur to me.

There's more to this than meets the eye, isn't there? Tiles, floors, different baths, showers and whether to get a high or low loo - and that's before you start with choosing colours for cabinets.

Also if you have a big bath make sure you don’t go for the panel that they sell with it. We had one and within a year it was a completely different shade to the bath and soon after it cracked. I guess you have to have a panel made and then tile it?

We will soon be renovating and I can't wait to have a bath again. Miss it so much. Keeping the same tiles- white subway. But getting a very large and deep bath.

Thanks for the tip. Why would that be different with a larger bath, as opposed to a smaller one, though?

I think the idea is that we get a panel to match the cabinets, but I'd check that out when we decide which quote to go for.

I'm pleased with our bathroom, it's tiny but we made good use of the space.

The only thing I would change is the sink tap. It's quite powerful and squirts out far without even opening it much, so it's just too big for the sink itself. We are used to it at home so know to only open it very slightly but whenever anyone else comes over they obviously wouldn't know that so lift it up and then get splashed with water and it goes on the floor and drips down the cupboard too. Then they come downstairs all sheepish and apologetic that they've made it wet but it's not their fault, the tap just doesn't suit the sink at all.

I'd make a wet room, Scandinavian style.

Things that bother me in ours, our bath had a basic shower head attached to a diverter on the taps, that was fine. But the bath's angled ends made showering a bit of a pain. So if you do a combined bath shower, just think about your footing. P shaped baths in my mind are ugly. But practical. Perhaps just stick to separate bath and shower.

I don't much enjoy it when partner comes in and craps while I am in the bath. So a separate toilet outside the bathroom would suit.

Copper taps, far more hygienic, kills e-coli.

I like to be able to get my head under a basin tap. To rinse mouth etc. Many tap/sink setups don't work for me.

As our toilet is not on external wall, I think we could have hid the soil pipe under the floor.

Hot and cold tap in one, would really help me wash in the basin. But I'm not sure if this is a problem? Should you have a separate cold tap for oral use only? Thinking about bugs that can thrive in hot water systems pipes.

I like to have a shower that I can move to parts I want to wash. Two heads: one fixed and one hose would be nice.

I must admit, being able to shower the toilet for cleaning is quite useful.

Oh and a cool thing I would add if you are into showering. Is to have a heat exchanger on the drain, that warms either the cold water inlet on the shower or the boiler. This would save us so much money, and make me feel a little less guilt free about longer showers.

If you do put a toilet in the bathroom, place it so it can't be seen from the door. Or rather it's nice not to have to shut the bathroom door every time you use the toilet. Only works for those that are a little more comfortable with that kind of intimacy.

Recently had our bathroom done. Got rid of bath and had large corner shower instead - more practical for us as we both prefer a shower and find it easier than a bath. Arthritis in legs makes it so difficult to get in and out of a bath. Vanity unit with drawers - more practical than cupboards and means we can put away all the cleaning things and spare loo rolls. Tall wall cupboard for toiletries. Comfort height toilet, again, arthritis plays havoc with sitting and standing from a regular height toilet. Hooks for towels so they don't always block warmth from the towel rail. Boiler fed shower rather than electric, partly for cost reasons and also , IME, better for control of both temperatures and speed. Shower head on a vertical pile rather than fixed in one place, so I can lift shower out of it's fitting to wash my hair, rinse off and adjust height so both DH and I can have the shower at the right height.
We decided to have fully tiled walls and floor, large tiles with dark grouting. We are very, very happy with it.

I'd never ever have another roll top bath. Can't clean round the back of them. Nightmare

I’ve been wondering about that as we’re redoing the bathroom soon.

I’ve had two in two different houses and never had an issue. What’s the problem?there’s plenty of space between the bath and the wall in ours — room to mop easily.

I'd have more storage.

Disclaimer: we didn't pick our current bathroom but it's a bit of a product of the early 00s... his and her sinks (like seriously WHY?!), loo fitted into a tiled surround so we can't get access to it to change the flush that the kids find hard to press, jacuzzi bath, waterfall taps...

Jacuzzi bath - kids love it. However kids have also discovered that if you slightly underfill the bath and are in it with your sibling - you can use the jets as nice water cannons to attack your sibling with... that's going.

His and hers sinks - they will be going and I will have ALL THE STORAGE (two pre-teen daughters - I need bathroom storage).

Waterfall taps - just fucking WHY - the water goes everywhere! We want taps to dispense water - not for some aesthetic festival of uselessness

The loo - I love the fitted look - however they need to have an access panel and this is my number 1 thing when we re-do it.

Plus I'd like a separate shower and bath if at all possible.

I love ours, but I think they benefit from sitting in a larger room with standalone taps.